Evan Williams
WKR
SEXY ARROWS!!!! I want to point out that Cindy is shooting a HINGE Back-Tension release!!! LOOK AT THOSE GROUPS!!!!
- Status
HellsCanyon
WKR
Very nice Cindy! What distance are those groups at??? 
Mike
Mike
dreamingbig
WKR
You better start shooting at separate dots or else your sponsor is going to need to pony up with more arrows!
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Very nice Cindy! What distance are those groups at???
Mike
Only 10 feet! Darin has me shooting blank bale and up close. As mentioned before, this is a drastic shooting style change but I like it. If all goes as planned, Darin and I will be getting together Monday night for a coaching session. I'm excited to meet Darin and get some excellent shooting practice in.
Thanks from following the project!
I hope I need more arrows because of tight groups!
Evan Williams
WKR
I am DYING TO KNOW how the training session went!!!!
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Darin Cooper Coaching Session
Here are some pics of the coaching session with Darin Cooper! I feel like I've won the lottery when I get to work with all of these rockstars! I'll let Darin post about what we worked on specifically. Briefly, I came away with more confidence and a better understanding of the back tension, sight picture and the mental game just to name a few things. It was way fun! Thanks Darin.
Here are some pics of the coaching session with Darin Cooper! I feel like I've won the lottery when I get to work with all of these rockstars! I'll let Darin post about what we worked on specifically. Briefly, I came away with more confidence and a better understanding of the back tension, sight picture and the mental game just to name a few things. It was way fun! Thanks Darin.
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
I LOVE my Hips Target! Thanks to Darrin Brown for such a great product.
Mule Deer Beware!!!
ATTENTION all mule deer bucks. This is not a drill!! Cindy Wamsley will be stalking the deer woods in Colorado this fall and she is EXTREMELY - I repeat... EXTREMELY dangerous if you have antlers!!
Cindy and I had a great coaching session the other night. I have to say right off the bat that Cindy had been doing her homework and her form was really in good shape. She told me she had picked a lot up from the articles I prescribed, but I think she's quite obviously a good athlete and had been properly set up thanks to Evan down in CO Springs. Draw length was spot on!
She pounded the 5 or 6 arrow group in the center of the photo collage at the end of the session and I'm fairly certain they would all have fit in the X-ring if we adjusted her sight a little.
We covered a lot of fundamentals over the course of the night and I tried to tell her how and why each of these was important and what types of problems she could encounter if she started "breaking the rules" or seeing her form break down. I think this is important so that an archer can diagnose form flaws and more easily coach themselves back into shape when/if they encounter problems down the road.
We discussed the importance of a relaxed grip and how to properly grip the bow. I showed Cindy how turning the bottom of her hand away from the grip creates better bow-arm clearance. Her bow hand is staying relaxed throughout the shot and she seems to have developed a good feel for a torque free hand position while blank bale training over the last several weeks.
Cindy's bow shoulder stays down throughout the shot and is very strong. We talked about the importance of keeping her shoulder low and locked in rather than high and extended which puts the shoulder in a weaker position that tends to creep up toward the archer's face.
Cindy's release arm alignment was great. Slightly high elbow that was in good alignment with the string/arrow. Her bicep was relaxed on her draw arm which allows the forearm to align properly (along with proper draw length). If you aren't sure if you are using too much bicep, just draw your bow and have a friend poke to see if you're flexed. Also draw and flex hard, then relax and feel the tension go out of the bicep.
All of these fundamentals get back to one basic concept and that is allowing the skeletal structure to support the bow using as little muscle input as possible and by using the proper musculature for the job to eliminate excess effort and muscle tremors that can be caused by using the wrong "tool" for the job.
Cindy's posture was good - she has a very slight lean back, which is natural in order to balance the weight of the bow. Most women shooters tend to exaggerate this posture when starting out, but again, Cindy has a strong core and her posture is great. One thing she can work on is trying to stand tall when shooting. It's easy to kind of slump down on our hips which seems logical since we're relaxing. However, I find that if I stand up like someone is pulling my head up with a string (or if you're trying to be 5'10" instead of 5'9" your core muscles stabilize your whole upper body. This has a tendency to make my shots feel stronger and crisp. It makes it easier for me to shoot strong back tension shots and get through the release better. Try it and see if you can tell the difference.
We had to work on the pace of Cindy's shot. She was probably averaging 12 - 15 seconds on her shot. This is too slow. Most of the issue was that Cindy was too slow getting to the click on her back tension release. Once she realized she needed to speed that up to keep her shot in the 7 - 9 second range things tightened up all over. Our visual acuity starts dropping off after about 10 seconds - if you hold too long your vision may eventually fade almost completely to black if you're focusing intently and not blinking. You also start to have muscle fatigue as muscles start to creep into anaerobic mode fairly quickly. Most Olympic coaches shoot for sub 9-second shot processes with their athletes.
By the way, Cindy's new assignment is to shoot 4 - 5 days a week with at least one day of blank bale shooting to make sure that subconscious shot stays intact. More blank bale if she feels the need. I also asked Cindy to develop her own custom shot routine she can use before every single shot. She will start shooting some distance now as we got her 40 yard mark sighted in. We need a 50 and 30 yard mark so that I can run a sight tape for her on Archer's Advantage.
I also taught Cindy a "TOP SECRET" technique for setting up a single pin that will cover 15 - 40 yards with one point of aim. I call it the trick pin. It's an ideal way to set up her two-pin sight. If anybody's interested we might consider sharing the details
There's much more to cover that I will keep posting as we go. Cindy if I missed anything you felt was particularly important, please chime in!
Coop
ATTENTION all mule deer bucks. This is not a drill!! Cindy Wamsley will be stalking the deer woods in Colorado this fall and she is EXTREMELY - I repeat... EXTREMELY dangerous if you have antlers!!
Cindy and I had a great coaching session the other night. I have to say right off the bat that Cindy had been doing her homework and her form was really in good shape. She told me she had picked a lot up from the articles I prescribed, but I think she's quite obviously a good athlete and had been properly set up thanks to Evan down in CO Springs. Draw length was spot on!
She pounded the 5 or 6 arrow group in the center of the photo collage at the end of the session and I'm fairly certain they would all have fit in the X-ring if we adjusted her sight a little.
We covered a lot of fundamentals over the course of the night and I tried to tell her how and why each of these was important and what types of problems she could encounter if she started "breaking the rules" or seeing her form break down. I think this is important so that an archer can diagnose form flaws and more easily coach themselves back into shape when/if they encounter problems down the road.
We discussed the importance of a relaxed grip and how to properly grip the bow. I showed Cindy how turning the bottom of her hand away from the grip creates better bow-arm clearance. Her bow hand is staying relaxed throughout the shot and she seems to have developed a good feel for a torque free hand position while blank bale training over the last several weeks.
Cindy's bow shoulder stays down throughout the shot and is very strong. We talked about the importance of keeping her shoulder low and locked in rather than high and extended which puts the shoulder in a weaker position that tends to creep up toward the archer's face.
Cindy's release arm alignment was great. Slightly high elbow that was in good alignment with the string/arrow. Her bicep was relaxed on her draw arm which allows the forearm to align properly (along with proper draw length). If you aren't sure if you are using too much bicep, just draw your bow and have a friend poke to see if you're flexed. Also draw and flex hard, then relax and feel the tension go out of the bicep.
All of these fundamentals get back to one basic concept and that is allowing the skeletal structure to support the bow using as little muscle input as possible and by using the proper musculature for the job to eliminate excess effort and muscle tremors that can be caused by using the wrong "tool" for the job.
Cindy's posture was good - she has a very slight lean back, which is natural in order to balance the weight of the bow. Most women shooters tend to exaggerate this posture when starting out, but again, Cindy has a strong core and her posture is great. One thing she can work on is trying to stand tall when shooting. It's easy to kind of slump down on our hips which seems logical since we're relaxing. However, I find that if I stand up like someone is pulling my head up with a string (or if you're trying to be 5'10" instead of 5'9" your core muscles stabilize your whole upper body. This has a tendency to make my shots feel stronger and crisp. It makes it easier for me to shoot strong back tension shots and get through the release better. Try it and see if you can tell the difference.
We had to work on the pace of Cindy's shot. She was probably averaging 12 - 15 seconds on her shot. This is too slow. Most of the issue was that Cindy was too slow getting to the click on her back tension release. Once she realized she needed to speed that up to keep her shot in the 7 - 9 second range things tightened up all over. Our visual acuity starts dropping off after about 10 seconds - if you hold too long your vision may eventually fade almost completely to black if you're focusing intently and not blinking. You also start to have muscle fatigue as muscles start to creep into anaerobic mode fairly quickly. Most Olympic coaches shoot for sub 9-second shot processes with their athletes.
By the way, Cindy's new assignment is to shoot 4 - 5 days a week with at least one day of blank bale shooting to make sure that subconscious shot stays intact. More blank bale if she feels the need. I also asked Cindy to develop her own custom shot routine she can use before every single shot. She will start shooting some distance now as we got her 40 yard mark sighted in. We need a 50 and 30 yard mark so that I can run a sight tape for her on Archer's Advantage.
I also taught Cindy a "TOP SECRET" technique for setting up a single pin that will cover 15 - 40 yards with one point of aim. I call it the trick pin. It's an ideal way to set up her two-pin sight. If anybody's interested we might consider sharing the details
There's much more to cover that I will keep posting as we go. Cindy if I missed anything you felt was particularly important, please chime in!
Coop
Last edited:
It's a bit of a project to deliver it so... I think I'll post it as an article with photos for everyone so it doesn't get buried here. I'll see if I can bust it out next weekend. It's a really good tool/technique for all to have in their bag of tricks.
Coop
Coop
HellsCanyon
WKR
Good stuff!!! Got me thinking of my form now that I'm working back up to shooting heavily again after rotator cuff surgery 3 months ago...
Mike
Mike
I will look forward to this article, Coop and thanks for all the info above. I am just beginning to scratch the surface as an archer and all of this is helpful advice!
Continuation of Cindy's coaching session...
Once we got the pace of Cindy's shot worked out we talked about follow through and what that really means to an archer. I try to describe follow through as the continuation of the aiming and shooting process until the arrow arrives at the target. Keep your aiming focus on target until you hear/see the arrow hit. Also keep pulling the bow until your shoulder rotates to a natural limit. If you're pulling on a rope and I suddenly let go of the other end, your arm is going to recoil. The same principle applies to your drawing arm. If your arm doesn't recoil backward as the release lets go this is a sure indicator that you anticipated the shot and probably punched the trigger. If you don't think you are, then have someone else pull the trigger for you and see if it feels the same.Shot anticipation is the primary thing I wanted to circumvent by having Cindy learn proper shot execution with a back-tension release aid. This style of release is far more difficult to anticipate and it allows the archer to focus on aiming rather than a trigger.
Cindy's execution was virtually flawless by the end of the night. Strong shots with no hesitation, full concentration on-target, nice controlled follow through. Scary good to be honest!
We talked at length about being mentally prepared for a shot on an animal. Most first-timers learn the effects of buck fever the hard way, but a little mental prep can go a long way toward making shooting under stress or pressure more manageable. The first item of business is to build a shot routine that includes a "mental program" that she runs every time she prepares a shot. This is a short, confidence building checklist of form and execution keys you want to plant in your head. This is especially important before a high pressure shot. This should allow Cindy to get her head wrapped around the task at hand before she rips the bow back and lets one fly. I remember a couple of my first experiences on game and I've seen other world champion shooters look like absolute amateurs on live animals. If you're not prepared, you're only prepared to fail.
Everyone's program should be individually tailored to their own specific mental keys that they find through practice that contribute to their ideal shot. 1976 Olympic coach Al Henderson said that archery is such an easy sport. Learn to execute one perfect shot... then repeat. Having a scripted process to get your mind in the exact same state for each shot is a logical way to encourage your body to also be repetitive.
My mental program goes like this... "I am relaxed, strong and patient. My shot is automatic. I am confident and focused."
The first sentence reminds me to relax my bow hand fully. I do this as I pull hard into the wall (which I get from "strong", and I remember to be patient with the shot. The automatic part reminds me that my shot process happens on auto-pilot and that my job is only to aim the bow. The last sentence reminds me to trust or believe that I will make the shot because weak shots will have weak results. Then a final reminder to focus on the aim and only the aim.
I say that exact sentence every time before I pull the bow. The mental check-off happens in probably 1 - 2 seconds as I come to anchor. The rest is aiming and follow thru, pat yourself on the back for a well executed shot, and repeat.
Cindy will find her keys and work up a program of her own. It might go something like, "I pick a spot and focus. My bowhand is relaxed. I stand tall and trust my aim."
Always keep your program positive in nature - you can even fool your subconscious into believing and executing better than you have a right to.
Next I encouraged Cindy to experiment and prepare mentally for real hunting type shots. Practice shooting while she's kneeling and get her heart-rate up by doing push ups and jumping jacks so she could experience aiming with a fabricated adrenaline rush. Learn to shoot through some shakiness because her sight level might have a few white-caps in it if she gets a crack at a 180 buck!!!
Coop
Once we got the pace of Cindy's shot worked out we talked about follow through and what that really means to an archer. I try to describe follow through as the continuation of the aiming and shooting process until the arrow arrives at the target. Keep your aiming focus on target until you hear/see the arrow hit. Also keep pulling the bow until your shoulder rotates to a natural limit. If you're pulling on a rope and I suddenly let go of the other end, your arm is going to recoil. The same principle applies to your drawing arm. If your arm doesn't recoil backward as the release lets go this is a sure indicator that you anticipated the shot and probably punched the trigger. If you don't think you are, then have someone else pull the trigger for you and see if it feels the same.Shot anticipation is the primary thing I wanted to circumvent by having Cindy learn proper shot execution with a back-tension release aid. This style of release is far more difficult to anticipate and it allows the archer to focus on aiming rather than a trigger.
Cindy's execution was virtually flawless by the end of the night. Strong shots with no hesitation, full concentration on-target, nice controlled follow through. Scary good to be honest!
We talked at length about being mentally prepared for a shot on an animal. Most first-timers learn the effects of buck fever the hard way, but a little mental prep can go a long way toward making shooting under stress or pressure more manageable. The first item of business is to build a shot routine that includes a "mental program" that she runs every time she prepares a shot. This is a short, confidence building checklist of form and execution keys you want to plant in your head. This is especially important before a high pressure shot. This should allow Cindy to get her head wrapped around the task at hand before she rips the bow back and lets one fly. I remember a couple of my first experiences on game and I've seen other world champion shooters look like absolute amateurs on live animals. If you're not prepared, you're only prepared to fail.
Everyone's program should be individually tailored to their own specific mental keys that they find through practice that contribute to their ideal shot. 1976 Olympic coach Al Henderson said that archery is such an easy sport. Learn to execute one perfect shot... then repeat. Having a scripted process to get your mind in the exact same state for each shot is a logical way to encourage your body to also be repetitive.
My mental program goes like this... "I am relaxed, strong and patient. My shot is automatic. I am confident and focused."
The first sentence reminds me to relax my bow hand fully. I do this as I pull hard into the wall (which I get from "strong", and I remember to be patient with the shot. The automatic part reminds me that my shot process happens on auto-pilot and that my job is only to aim the bow. The last sentence reminds me to trust or believe that I will make the shot because weak shots will have weak results. Then a final reminder to focus on the aim and only the aim.
I say that exact sentence every time before I pull the bow. The mental check-off happens in probably 1 - 2 seconds as I come to anchor. The rest is aiming and follow thru, pat yourself on the back for a well executed shot, and repeat.
Cindy will find her keys and work up a program of her own. It might go something like, "I pick a spot and focus. My bowhand is relaxed. I stand tall and trust my aim."
Always keep your program positive in nature - you can even fool your subconscious into believing and executing better than you have a right to.
Next I encouraged Cindy to experiment and prepare mentally for real hunting type shots. Practice shooting while she's kneeling and get her heart-rate up by doing push ups and jumping jacks so she could experience aiming with a fabricated adrenaline rush. Learn to shoot through some shakiness because her sight level might have a few white-caps in it if she gets a crack at a 180 buck!!!
Coop
Few More shots of Cindy Shooting...
Coop
Coop
Evan Williams
WKR
Cindy,
You have so much natural ability with archery equipment it isn't funny!!!! Keep them pounding. Let's see some pictures of the Prois gear!!! I am curious as to which pieces that you will be using. Kaely uses all their clothing and eventually the little one will too.
You have so much natural ability with archery equipment it isn't funny!!!! Keep them pounding. Let's see some pictures of the Prois gear!!! I am curious as to which pieces that you will be using. Kaely uses all their clothing and eventually the little one will too.
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Prois Clothing System
I've been working with Joni at Prois and I have to say she gets added to the Rokstar list! We discussed in length the different clothing lines and which would be best for this particular hunt. We decided on the Generation X line for the jacket and pants. What I love about them so far is that they fit! So nice to wear hunting clothing that fits a woman's body and has some awesome performance features such as the material, pockets, hood, zippers etc. For the t-shirt I chose the Ultra Hoodie. I love the polyester birdseye wicking fabric. It keeps me cool and it has been plenty hot here. I really like the zippered pockets, hood and thumbholes. The Cap is perfect. It has a low profile and it doesn't get in the way of the string when I'm shooting. It fits like a dream. I also added an ultra long sleeve and short sleeve shirt and the Pro-Edition Vest. I can't have enough t-shirts and I like a vest to keep my core warm. All in all I'm way excited about the Prois clothing and can't wait to see how it performs in the field this fall. A special thanks to Prois, Kirstie Pike and Joni for sponsoring the project and making such a great product for women hunters!
I've been working with Joni at Prois and I have to say she gets added to the Rokstar list!
We discussed in length the different clothing lines and which would be best for this particular hunt. We decided on the Generation X line for the jacket and pants. What I love about them so far is that they fit! So nice to wear hunting clothing that fits a woman's body and has some awesome performance features such as the material, pockets, hood, zippers etc. For the t-shirt I chose the Ultra Hoodie. I love the polyester birdseye wicking fabric. It keeps me cool and it has been plenty hot here. I really like the zippered pockets, hood and thumbholes. The Cap is perfect. It has a low profile and it doesn't get in the way of the string when I'm shooting. It fits like a dream. I also added an ultra long sleeve and short sleeve shirt and the Pro-Edition Vest. I can't have enough t-shirts and I like a vest to keep my core warm. All in all I'm way excited about the Prois clothing and can't wait to see how it performs in the field this fall. A special thanks to Prois, Kirstie Pike and Joni for sponsoring the project and making such a great product for women hunters!
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Evan,
Thanks for the compliment. I got some Prois pictures posted. Awesome clothing!
Thanks for the compliment. I got some Prois pictures posted. Awesome clothing!
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Found it!!!
I mentioned earlier in the thread (post #37) that a picture so inspired me in my youth. Thanks to the help of some family we found the picture. This is my mother's father and he was and is my hero for many reasons. I said it before and I'll say it again, I'd give anything to have him here and going with me on this hunt. Enjoy the photo.
I mentioned earlier in the thread (post #37) that a picture so inspired me in my youth. Thanks to the help of some family we found the picture. This is my mother's father and he was and is my hero for many reasons. I said it before and I'll say it again, I'd give anything to have him here and going with me on this hunt. Enjoy the photo.
Cindy Wamsley
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 322
Fitness Update
I've been hiking and gradually increasing the weight of my pack and the miles. I've got a little over 30 miles in the Kenetrek's! Yahoo!! I still love them and the only time that I have any trouble with them is when it is steep terrain for at least 5 miles. I have a really narrow foot and I've found that I can't cinch them down super tight around my foot. What seems to be happening is that in steep terrain for long periods of time my foot slides to the back of the boot and I start to develop a blister on my achilles tendon. I'm open to suggestions for a possible solution. I'm trying different socks and liners. The last hike I used a smart wool liner and a smart wool sock. It is the best combo so far. Smart wool because the elasticity in the sock hugs my narrow foot. I've also thought about cleaning them up, adding more waterproofing wax and cinching them down as tight as I can get them w/o my foot in the boot then letting them dry. I've been keeping track of distances, vertical elevation, time, pack weight, miles etc. on the hikes I've been doing. If I get some interest in the numbers and details I'll post the data otherwise we'll just call it hiking with a weighted pack!
I'm also running, biking and Crossfit. My goal is to burn 600 calories per day 6 days a week. Crossfit burns 200-300 so I have to make up the difference daily with the running, biking and hiking. I don't always get that done because life is busy but I'm doing the best I can and that's all the matters.
I've been hiking and gradually increasing the weight of my pack and the miles. I've got a little over 30 miles in the Kenetrek's! Yahoo!! I still love them and the only time that I have any trouble with them is when it is steep terrain for at least 5 miles. I have a really narrow foot and I've found that I can't cinch them down super tight around my foot. What seems to be happening is that in steep terrain for long periods of time my foot slides to the back of the boot and I start to develop a blister on my achilles tendon. I'm open to suggestions for a possible solution. I'm trying different socks and liners. The last hike I used a smart wool liner and a smart wool sock. It is the best combo so far. Smart wool because the elasticity in the sock hugs my narrow foot. I've also thought about cleaning them up, adding more waterproofing wax and cinching them down as tight as I can get them w/o my foot in the boot then letting them dry. I've been keeping track of distances, vertical elevation, time, pack weight, miles etc. on the hikes I've been doing. If I get some interest in the numbers and details I'll post the data otherwise we'll just call it hiking with a weighted pack!
I'm also running, biking and Crossfit. My goal is to burn 600 calories per day 6 days a week. Crossfit burns 200-300 so I have to make up the difference daily with the running, biking and hiking. I don't always get that done because life is busy but I'm doing the best I can and that's all the matters.
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